Fire Friday: Jack Herer Cup

The 2016 Jack Herer Cup celebrates Nevada’s new legalized status through the legacy of an industry icon

It was a mellow and buzzed crowd that took over the Hard Rock Café on the strip in Las Vegas on Thursday, November 17 at the celebration of the second annual Jack Herer Cup, where cannabis cultivators and cannabis product creators competed in various categories representing winners from the state of Nevada only, plus winners from out-of-state competitors.

Nevada competitors went head to head in the categories of best vape pen cartridge, best flower, best concentrate and best overall product.

Out of state cultivators and product creators competed in those same categories plus two other categories: edibles and infused cannabis.

A special lifetime achievement award went to Jeannie Herer, wife of Jack. “This event is very cool,” she said. “Jack was very passionate about hemp and the cannabis movement and about saving the world with hemp,” she said. “I thought we could do that too, and that we could do it quickly.” Herer died in 2010.

One of the big winners was Vegas-based Tryke Companies, winning two awards: one for their Khalifa Kush shatter indica concentrate, and a second for their Strawberry Cough shatter sativa concentrate. “We got some new flower strain in the works, a lot of good concentrates coming out,” Adam Laikin, director of marketing for Tryke, said. “Also some edibles soon. A little bit of everything.”

Other multiple award winners included Bhang for vape pen cartridges and edibles, Tahoe Hydro Company for flower products and California Finest for concentrates and flowers.

Many in the cannabis business know the Jack Herer strain – a popular sativa hybrid created in Amsterdam in the 1990s – but not everyone knows about the book authored by Herer, “The Emperor Wears No Clothes” published in 1985 and considered one of the first comprehensive books about the cannabis plant and that is often cited by cannabis proponents.

Herer also ran for president twice – in 1988 and 1992 – as the candidate for the Grass Roots party. “I just encourage people to read Jack’s book,” Jeannie said. “Because when you do that, and you talk to someone about cannabis, you can quickly win them over just with the facts.”

One of the organizers of the event, Steve McNeal, CEO of Research and Development, LLC and owner of The Green Cross Farmacy medical marijuana store in Fallon, Nevada, said that the reason that they had the event is to celebrate Jack Herer and his accomplishments as a cannabis pioneer. “Without him, California would have never passed,” McNeal said. “None of these other states would be passing it right now. We would still be in the stone age.”

The event marked one of the first cannabis friendly events in the newly legalized state of Nevada, and was attended by Nevada State Senator Tick Segerblom, who said he thought he would never see cannabis legalized in the state in his lifetime. Now, he said, the state needs to work on public consumption regulations. “Nevada knows how to work with sin,” he said, referring to the legalization process in a state that has also legalized and regulated prostitution and gambling. “With legalization underway here and in states like California, it’s like you are pulling a string. Now the whole thing will unravel.”

Complete list of winners from the Jack Herer Cup 2016 held in Las Vegas

As a lifestyle publication, DOPE Magazine is dedicated to creating purposeful, relevant conversations. When we printed our inaugural issue in 2011 we positioned ourselves in the cannabis arena as a team of professionals determined to normalize the plant. While cannabis remains the central theme of our brand, 2017 has marked a turning point in our progression. We’ve built a steadfast framework of inclusivity when speaking about gender, race, class, politics, family and culture—with the ethos DEFEND.